The best of Prog rock

Friday, April 27, 2012

Brazilian
political journalist and blogger Décio Sá was shot and killed Monday night in
the city of Sao Luis in northeastern Brazil, according to news reports.
The journalist was sitting in a bar waiting for a friend when an unidentified
man entered, walked to the bathroom, and shot Sá six times before fleeing the
scene with a motorcyclist who was waiting outside.

Décio Sá,
42, wrote about politics for 17 years for the local newspaper O Estado
do Maranhão and on his personal blog, Blog do Décio, which was one of the
most widely read in the state, press reports said. Sá's blog was known for
critical reporting on politicians and corruption, according to Cezar
Scanssette, a journalist with O Estado do Maranhão. Due to the
nature of his reporting, the journalist had "many enemies,"
Scanssette told CPJ. Scanssette said he was not aware of Sá receiving any
threats.

Investigators
told reporters that
the murder was a contract killing carried out by "professionals" who
had most likely mapped out the journalist's daily routine. Police said they
would be looking into Sá's blog as a possible motive for the murder.

"We are deeply saddened by the killing of Décio Sá," said
Carlos Lauría, CPJ's senior Americas program coordinator. "Brazil is
leading the region in journalists murders this year, a terrible record
compounded by a pattern of impunity. Brazilian authorities must fully
investigate this crime, determine the motive, and prosecute those
responsible."

The day of
his death, Sá wrote on his blog about the trial of gunmen implicated in a
murder that was allegedly ordered by a local businessman from a political
family. Officials also told reporters they
would investigate whether the killing was linked to another case Sá reported,
in which a local politician was implicated in a prostitution ring and the
murder of a university student.

José Sarney,
president of the Brazilian Senate and whose family owns the O Estado do
Maranhão, called the
crime "an attack on democracy." Sá is survived by his
wife, who is pregnant, and an eight-year-old daughter.

In February, two Brazilian journalists were murdered in one week. No one has been arrested
in either case. Brazil appeared for the second consecutive year on CPJ's Impunity Index. Last week CPJ wrote to President Dilma Rousseff to
express concern about this record and other recent actions taken by the
Brazilian government that contradict the president's expressed commitment to
guarantee freedom of expression and make human rights a priority.